2 Seriously Hurt In 3-vehicle Crash On Turnpike

A Driver Trying To Avoid A Ladder Lost Control And Crossed The Median Into The Path Of Oncoming Traffic Near Ocoee.

December 27, 1997|By Pedro Ruz Gutierrez of The Sentinel Staff

A three-vehicle accident tied up traffic on Florida's Turnpike for hours Friday night as holiday travelers were heading home.

The 6 p.m. accident, near the East-West Expressway exit just south of Ocoee, snarled traffic after a northbound motorist lost control of his car while trying to avoid hitting a ladder in his lane.

Two people suffered severe injuries. A helicopter rushed one of them in critical condition to Orlando Regional Medical Center. The other person was in serious condition. Their names were not released.

After the accident, traffic heading north slowed to a trickle, but all lanes toward Wildwood were opened by 7:30 p.m.

Several southbound lanes remained closed late into the night as investigators continued to scour the more than 200 feet of tire marks and crash evidence.

Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Sterling King said the driver of a red Toyota Celica traveling north apparently lost control of his vehicle to avoid a shredded ladder that lay scattered on the highway.

``Witnesses said they tried to miss some debris,'' King said.

FHP investigators said the accident was not weather-related and pointed to the ladder as the possible culprit.

King said the Toyota driver swerved, crossed the median into the path of a Dodge van and a tractor-trailer and collided with both. The two southbound vehicles ended up partly submerged in a ditch past the road shoulder.

Paul Hill, 36, and Chris Hill, 33, suffered minor injuries. The couple's 2-year- old son and grandmother Charlene Auten were not injured. Auten said her family was traveling from Griffin, Ga., to West Palm Beach.

The unidentified tractor-trailer driver was unharmed but clearly upset.

``I'm shook up. I feel bad for the people in that car,'' he said, pointing to the mangled sports car. ``I tried everything, but I couldn't miss them.''